Candied Caramel Cheetos

Don't knock these Candied Caramel Cheetos until you try them! They are the ultimate sweet and salty treat and leave you wanting so. many. more. 

I'm on a bit of a snack-making kick lately and these Candied Caramel Cheetos have burrowed their way into my little heart in a big way. They kind of taste like a caramel + cheese popcorn hybrid with the crunch of a Cheeto.

I realize that these are basically the epitome of junk food but ya' only live once! I'm a firm believer of all things in moderation and making a batch of these every Monday is totally moderation, right? Right. Know your limits, folks. 🙂

If you can make caramel corn, and heck, even if you haven't you can make these!

How to Make Candied Caramel Cheetos

Can I use crunchy Cheetos to make caramel Cheetos?

People that know me (okay, maybe just my hubby and high school friends) know that I am a die hard Cheetos Puffs fan. If a bag of crunchy Cheetos is offered I'll probably take it, but puffs are definitely the way to go in my book.

That said you can definitely make this recipe using crunchy Cheetos if you'd like. In fact, caramel covered regular Cheetos are usually called "Coyote Droppings" for some incredibly strange reason.

Why Do I need to bake the Cheetos after putting the caramel sauce on them?

Doing this will allow the caramel sauce to further cook and become hard and crunchy. If you were to skip the baking step you'd likely be left with Cheetos that were soggy and chewy.

If you're still on the fence about these, I don't blame you but I do hope you'll at least explore the idea of trying them. I don't want you missing out on your new favorite junk food. That would be sad.

Want more fun sweet and salty snack recipes?

• Sweet and Salty Popcorn Sundaes with Butterscotch Sauce and Hot Fudge
• Court-side Crunch 7 Layer Bars

Candied Cheetos

Don't knock these Candied Caramel Cheetos until you try them! They are the ultimate sweet and salty treat and leave you wanting so. many. more. 

By Heather Cheney

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 bag Cheetos Puffs 8.5 ounce bag
• ▢ ½ cup light corn syrup
• ▢ ½ cup brown sugar
• ▢ 4 tablespoons butter

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
• Pour Cheetos into a large mixing bowl.
• Heat corn syrup, brown sugar, and butter over medium heat. Bring to a boil stirring frequently and allow to boil for one minute.
• Pour caramel mixture over the Cheetos and stir until most pieces are well coated. Spread Cheetos evenly out on a lined baking sheet and place in oven for 15 minutes. Stir and continue to bake for an additional 15 minutes and stir, repeating this process 2 more times for a total of 60 minutes in the oven. When done, the caramel will be hard and Cheetos will be crunchy and not at all chewy.
• Remove from oven, cool and break into pieces if needed.

Chef's Notes:

**Nutrition Facts do not include Cheetos as they are not part of our database. Please add that when calculating nutrition** Though, if you're eating candied Cheetos, I'm pretty sure you don't care. 🙂 

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 162 kcal | Carbohydrates: 29 g | Fat: 5 g | Saturated Fat: 3 g | Cholesterol: 15 mg | Sodium: 67 mg | Potassium: 18 mg | Sugar: 29 g | Vitamin A: 175 IU | Calcium: 16 mg | Iron: 0.1 mg

Nutrition and Food Safety Disclosure

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